An apple a day: exploring your

Everyone knows the old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But should it be updated for modern times? What should replace the apple?

You can come up with your own version at an exhibition at the Engine Shed, right by Temple Meads station, taking place from 18 January until 26 February. An apple a day: exploring your health in every day data stories is an interactive exhibition, organised by Bristol Health Partners, exploring how we can use data better to understand and improve health and care in Bristol, and showcases some of the work going on in the city.

It aims to challenge the way people think about health and health data, exploring the idea that health and healthcare data is about more than the NHS and its performance.

The design, created by Creative Data Projects, uses the familiarity of everyday actions and experiences to connect visitors’ day-to-day lives with ideas around health and data. Visitors follow the Data Trail, a rope trail suspended across and around the space, leading them to thematic sections on mobility, food and drink, leisure and exercise, sleep and rest, and finally, work. Each thematic section will connect visitors’ experiences with facts drawn from existing Bristol data sets and information. A central table addresses the question ‘What is health data?’ and provides space for further information about Bristol Health Partners and health in Bristol generally.

In each section there will be an opportunity for visitors to interact, creating a visual transformation of the space over the six weeks of the installation. Interactions can be quick, requiring only a brief action from the visitor to mark their response, or more-in depth, with the chance to write or draw on an object. Visitors’ interactions will be marked by hanging their contributions along the trail.

The central table will also provide an opportunity for visitors to write a postcard to Bristol Health Partners Director David Relph in response to the installation.

David Relph said:

“This immersive exhibition will reveal some of the work going on in Bristol, while also challenging people to think about their own health. It aims to demystify health data, showing how every day we create data about ourselves and our health through small interactions. It also showcases some of the inspiring work going on in our city, from cutting edge research centres to projects to encourage people to live healthier lives.”

Engine Shed houses the public exhibition space, Platform 14, to showcase the strengths and innovations of the Bristol and Bath city region in an informative and inspiring way and works with partners to use the space for their own interpretation of innovation and enterprise through whatever medium they choose.

Director of Engine Shed, Nick Sturge said:

“We are delighted to be working with Bristol Health Partners and Creative Data Projects to highlight the range of high tech applications of health data already happening in the City, such as Bristol Is Open, and to help showcase companies that are part of SETsquared Bristol, the University of Bristol’s global number one business incubator, such as Micrima, Bioinduction, Trimetis, Careflow Connect and Mobile Minds.”

The exhibition is open to the public from 8.30 am – 5.30 pm Monday to Friday and is free of charge.

A free event called ‘Health, data and the public good’ is taking place on 22 February alongside the exhibition, which includes a conversation café and lightning presentations.